Rollerblading Vs Skateboarding: Which One Is Easier?

The dispute of rollerblading vs skateboarding over which one is harder to do has been ongoing for decades. It seems that people either prefer one over the other, but one is not definitively better than the other.

While on the outside, the difference between rollerblading vs skateboarding is obvious, there are other considerations to consider.

If you have been debating which sport that you should try to take up, we are here to help.

We are going to break down everything that you should know about rollerblading vs skateboarding, including which is harder to start, which is harder to master, which of them is a better workout, and what are the pros and cons of each sport.

You might even want to take up both sports, if you are willing to try them out. Here’s everything you need to know to make the right choice.

Which Sport Is Harder To Start?

Let’s start out with the most obvious question: between rollerblading vs skateboarding, which sport is trickier to start out with?

Looking at the fact that you strap skates to your feet and you are not free to step off like you would be able to with a skateboard, rollerblading is definitely harder to get started with.

Rollerblading is all about momentum. You need to learn how to get momentum when you are on wheels.

The bearings within the wheels should have a smooth turn around the axle and the smoother the bearings, the faster you can skate, but you still need to be able to push yourself forward. This is something that takes a bit of practice.

If you are just using skateboarding for cruising, it is easier to start with. You just need to stand and balance on the board and move forward smoothly.

If you are going straight, you cannot go wrong. If you begin to fall or have trouble, you can simply step off of the board, making it the easier choice if you are just hoping to balance and cruise.

Which Sport Is Harder To Master?

Now that we have established that Rollerblading is hard to start with, let’s look at which one is harder to master. The difficulty that you will find from rollerblading is that your feet are attached to the skates.

When you fall down, you have to stand back up on wheels. You do have to learn to propel yourself forward on the wheels as well and learn how to move around. Yet, once you get the hang of rollerblading, you are good to go.

Meanwhile, with skateboarding, you are not attached to the board itself, so if you lose your balance, you can simply step off of it.

There is a bigger balance issue with the skateboarding as you need to stand up on the board and get yourself to roll forward.

When it comes to learning tricks, skateboarding tricks are much more difficult to learn. Mastering tricks has a pretty large learning curve.

It has a whole scientific element involved, where you have to learn to get gravity to work in your favour.

It is a lot less difficult to do tricks on rollerblades, because the skates are an extension of your body, which you have more control over.

You could always increase the challenge level, but generally speaking, rollerblading is simpler to master.

How Many Calories Do They Burn?

Looking at the caloric comparison of rollerblading vs skateboarding, there is a clear winner on this front.

The more that you move, the more calories that you can burn with an exercise, which is why cardiovascular exercise burns a lot of calories.

The winner for caloric burn is rollerblading. On average, you can burn somewhere between 573 and 1069 calories an hour. This is because it can be an aerobic exercise, which will burn more calories as it really gets your heart rate up.

Skateboarding on the other hand does not have the same consistent cardio element that you get from rollerblading.

Skateboarding gets between 350 and 575 calories an hour, depending on whether you are cruising on your skateboard or attempting tricks.

This does not mean that rollerblading is harder than skateboarding, but it is more of a cardio workout than you will get from skateboarding.

Which Sport Promotes Muscular Development?

Now that we know rollerblading might burn more calories than skateboarding, which sport will build more muscles? You can think that if a sport is building more muscles, it might be harder to do if you are not already in shape.

Well in the battle between rollerblading vs skateboarding, rollerblading is better for building muscles.

This is because rollerblading works a lot of different muscles in your body, including your core, your hips, your glutes, and your legs. It is really a full-body workout.

Meanwhile, skateboarding is more leg-focused, but even that is inconsistent, depending on what you are trying to do on your skateboard.

If you are skateboarding to cruise from one location to another, you will use your core and leg muscles. If you are focusing more on your tricks, you will only really engage your leg muscles.

If you think about it, the more your muscles develop, the more control you will have over your body.

Your muscles will help keep your body upright, work on your posture, and generally make you feel better. It is much easier to build muscles while rollerblading than it is to build muscles with skateboarding.

Pros Of Rollerblading

Now that you know that there are aspects of each that are harder or easier between rollerblading vs skateboarding, let’s focus on the pros of just rollerblading.

It could be trickier to get going with rollerblading but riding on rollerblading is much easier. Additionally, rollerblading is much safer and is good for people of all ages.

You can see kids rollerblading or even older adults cruising around on the boardwalks.

You can also really get cruising on rollerblades. Average speeds on rollerblades range from 8 to 16 miles per hour. Tricks are also easier to do on rollerblades.

You can also practice on rollerblades both indoors and outdoors. There are so many aerobic benefits that you can get from rollerblading as well, which might increase your overall health and fitness level.

Cons Of Rollerblading

Moving on to the cons of rollerblading, it is harder to balance on rollerblades at first as you literally have wheels strapped to your feet.

Rollerblading is also less versatile than skateboarding is, since there is not a lot of tricks and activities that you can do on them, beyond standard cruising, dancing, and some tricks.

It is better to be more agile on these skates as well, simply because you will be able to move around tight corners or other obstacles with ease. If you are not agile, you are going to run into a lot more trouble.

Pros Of Skateboarding

As we continue the battle between rollerblading vs skateboarding, we are going to look at the pros of skateboarding over rollerblading.

Skateboards are trendier among the youth than they are of adults, which, depending on your age and perspective, you might consider to be a pro.

Skateboards are also more versatile than rollerblades, meaning that you will be able to do a lot of different things with one, and you can always increase the difficulty of it as you begin to improve on your skills.

You are also more stable on a skateboard than you are on rollerblades, which is a definite pro.

Cons Of Skateboarding

The cons of skateboarding might seem like a bit, but it is not that bad. Skateboarding is harder to ride on, given the balance factor involved.

Skateboarding is also less inherently safe than rollerblading. You are more likely to wipe out in a bad way, breaking a bone, or even getting hit by a car, so you will need to be more alert on a skateboard that you will need to be on rollerblades.

The probability of accidents is a lot higher with skateboarding than they are with rollerblading. Beginners especially do not have a lot of control on a skateboard, making it a lot harder to avoid obstacles.

Some skateboarders also want to do certain tricks involving railings and stairs that can have terrible results if you wipe out.

You really need to make sure that you are using proper safety gear while you are skateboarding, especially if you are trying out new things.

A helmet is always a smart idea to keep your skull safe, but it is especially essential if you are on roads or attempting jumps and tricks that could easily result in you hitting your head.

Riding on a skateboard is also slower than the speeds that you can get with rollerblades.

The average speed of a skateboard is between 5 and 12 miles per hour, so you will not get the speeds up as much as you might want.

There are also not as many wheel options with skateboards than what you will be able to get with rollerblades, which might be a deal breaker if you would like to have different wheel options, roundness, and the bearings as well.

Another con is that you cannot have any brakes to stop yourself. You will need to be able to stop yourself by stepping off of the board.

There is the final con with skateboarding, which is that you really can only do it outside. There are not many indoor skate parks out there, as the vast majority are outdoor parks.

This means you will be forced to consider the weather and environment before you can go skateboarding. You will not have the same issue with rollerblading, because there are plenty of indoor spaces that allow for it, depending on where you are living.

Final Words

If you have been going back and forth between rollerblading vs skateboarding, hopefully this guide has helped you work out which sport might be the best choice for you.

Remember that if you are hoping to do tricks, rollerblading is much easier to pull off than skateboarding is.

Riding a skateboard can be hard, as you will need to learn how to balance on the board before you learn how to get yourself moving forward.

Rollerblading can also be hard to learn how to propel yourself forward, but after the break-in period, rollerblading is easier to get the hang of and keep it.

So, as our final judgement, we believe that skateboarding is harder to do than rollerblading. But, if you are ambitious enough, you will be able to tackle both sports and become a master overall.

If you are willing to do it, then you will be able learn both cruising and tricks and have a lot more options for future fun.